Friday in Yogyakarta

Friday morning my son, daughter, wife, father-in-law and myself hopped a plane for the short, 55 minute trip to Yogyakarta, a city on the southern coast of Java. I have been looking forward to our Yogayakarta trip since we arrived. A city of approximately 3 million people, Yogyakarta is the home of Batik artistry, stone carvings, a ruling monarch (the Sultan, who acts as the governor), an ancient Hindu temple and, what I was most looking forward to, the largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia, and the oldest in the world.

Our flight arrived without issue, and our guide, "Bobby", met us just outside baggage claim. First order of business was to visit Prambanan Temple, a 9th century Hindu dedication to the Trimurti, located just a few minutes drive from the airport (I'll let Wikipedia provide the detailed history). Arriving at the temple shortly before noon, we walked the sacred grounds in scorching heat and enjoyed every minute of it. Our infant was in a sling on my chest and I carried an umbrella to block out the sun. We took photos, video, played on the swings at the nearby playground (that they did NOT build in the 9th century), and enjoyed causing the "shy lady" fuchsias to close when we touched them - our daughter liked this part best.

There were two other temples on the same grounds that we did not visit. Our son needs to eat every four hours. He eats at 4 AM, 8 AM, noon, etc until 8PM when we put him down for the night (yeah!). Because we arrived at the temple so close to noon, he needed to eat. When he needs to eat, he lets everyone know. Loudly. Without prejudice. So, we scurried back to the car with tremendous haste after entering just one of the temple's dedicated structures.

We left the temple and went to a famous Batik artist's studio. While my wife fed the baby, and my daughter slept, my father-in-law and I learned the painstaking process of making a Batik and viewed many of the tapestries - silk and cotton - for sale. I was shocked at the price (it was much lower than I was expecting) so I bought three.

I always enjoy the bartering aspect, though I truly don't know if I'm getting ripped off or getting a good price. I guess if we're both happy with the price paid, that's all that really matters.

When our son was fed (and in his afternoon siesta), I asked my wife to come look at the one I liked, and see if there were any she wanted. They quoted us prices of $250, $200 and $30. I told them I was willing to pay $250 for the whole bunch - a little more than half. Of course they said no way, just one of them was worth that much. I thanked them for their time and walked away. They countered with $300 for the group. I countered with $275. They said no, $300. I hesitated, pretended to consider it, then said $280. They agreed.

When they started to complete the sale and entered 2,800,000 Rupiah in the Visa POS terminal, I told them that wasn't correct. In Indonesia, to keep math simple, most people use 10,000 Rupiah as the conversion rate. The actual rate - and the one Visa will charge me - is around 9,250. They were trying to pick up the rest of their $300 counter-offer by hoping I was not aware of the current exchange rate! These guys are smart. Travelers have to be smarter to get a good deal.

After the Batik shop, we checked in to our hotel, the Hyatt in Yogyakarta. Our driver pulled the van into the hotel turn-around and a young woman in traditional Batik greeted us with a sweet smelling, white flower lei. The porters unloaded the luggage and, as we walked on the teak-wood deck over the koi pond, the hostess banged a gong, announcing our arrival. We checked into our rooms only to discover they were not adjoining, and both had King beds - two beds, 5 people. My father-in-law got one room, the four of us took the other. I did manage to procure a crib for our son to sleep in.

I took a nap with the kids, my father-in-law went to the pool, and my wife went to the spa for a massage. We ate dinner at the main restaurant in the hotel and, after a brief walk around the grounds, called it a night. We were leaving for Borobudur - the Buddhist temple - at 6:30 the following morning and needed to get our rest.